In our last article, we talked about why we avoid certain sales activities, even though they’re essential for success. We then unwrapped prospecting, probably the most common activity sellers avoid.
Today let’s examine why we avoid proposal follow-up and account management, and talk about strategies to avoid these.
Proposal Follow-up – It’s not about you
Why do we avoid following up on proposals when we haven’t heard from the prospect within a reasonable time? It’s simple. No one likes rejection. And all too often we assume it’s personal. “The prospect must not like me.” “I must have done something wrong.” “They like so-and-so better than me.”
But the reality is that it’s almost never about us; it’s about them. They get busy. They’re waiting for funding. Their priorities shift, or some such thing.
I recently found myself in a situation like this. My prospect kept cancelling appointments and avoiding my calls. It would...
Among salespeople who make sales prospecting calls, there’s a hot debate about whether or not you should leave a voicemail message.
